unrequited
by zoning
Summary: The stars have lied. - Ash/Dawn viewed through Misty's eyes. PearlShipping, onesided PokeShipping.


**warning; **infatuated!misty & hint of wishfulshipping.

**xxxxxxxxx** ash and _dawn_, sitting in a tree, k - i - s - s - i - n - g ;

"Misty? Did you hear me?"

Her head snaps up abruptly at the sound, and she shoots a glance over towards Brock, who's hovering protectively over his pot of soup. The girl rolls her eyes; he gets so into his cooking. Wait, did he say something to her? "Umm..."

She blinks.

"...What?"

The brown-haired teenager heaves a theatrical sigh, clearly exasperated with her. "I said, go find Ash and Dawn. Tell them lunch is almost ready."

"Oh... oh, yeah. Sure." She stands up from her crouched position, brushing off her blue shorts as she exits the Ketchums' house, brown loafers tapping against the ground as she makes her way down the street. Route 1 is her destination. She takes her time, letting her mind wander and not paying much attention to anything else. Instinctively her hands brush against the Pokeballs she has on hand, and she finds comfort, knowing that she'll be safe in case she runs into trouble.

Ash and Dawn and Brock had come from Sinnoh just days before to celebrate Ash's almost-but-not-quite victory in the League. And after all, Ash always returned to Pallet eventually. Misty gives a sad smile at the thought; he hadn't even considered visiting her. _Delia_ was the one who had practically forced her to make the trip from Cerulean. A sharp pain stabs at her chest, but she brushes it off with a quick shake of her head. _I'm happy for Ash. He was close to winning, _she tells herself for the millionth time. _I'm happy he got to leave and see Sinnoh and almost-win the League and meet... _No, she's not going there. Jealousy is a weakness.

Regardless, she _is _happy for Ash, really and truly, considering the last time the young trainer had won anything close to this was back in the Orange Islands. Misty herself was there to see that. She remembers those days when she was traveling, instead of spending her hours at the gym with her sisters and Tracey... sure, the Cerulean City gym wasn't terrible... but it wasn't the same. She was happiest when she was with Ash.

_Ash. _Speaking of him, he'd certainly matured since the last time she had seen him. He was with May and Max then, and when she saw him that time, Ash was still just as immature as she had left him when she became a gym leader. But now, she's come to notice, something's changed. It's strange, really... He barely responded when Misty teased him about the "almost" part of his "victory". Rather, he rolled his eyes and said something along the lines of, "Next time I'll win." Maybe Sinnoh did something to him... or maybe it was Dawn.

The trainer wrinkles her nose, wants to smack herself in the face. She swore she wouldn't go there, but oh, she's going there.

_Ash and Dawn are very ... very close_, she admits in her head, choosing her words carefully. It still unnerves her. It wasn't like this with May... and it wasn't like this when _she_ was around, either...

...Whatever. She's at Route 1 now, greenish-blue eyes scanning for the two familiar figures. Ash wanted to show Dawn some of the local Pokemon, and they had run off just an hour before. They said they weren't going to venture any further into Kanto, but, Misty realizes as she walks around, they're nowhere to be found. Hmm, maybe she should head on up to Viridian and take a look around, just to make sure—

That's when she hears it. His voice. From above...? _Oh._ They're in a tree.

"_There _you two are..." But she trails off, because he's not talking to her. He's talking to Dawn...

"H-hey, listen."

"Yeah?" That's Dawn's voice. Something tells her she should turn, turn and run back all the way to the Ketchum household...

"I-I... need to tell you something..." Misty's eyes are wide now.

"Yes?"

"I... u-uh..."

Her heart stops beating. _What...? H-he couldn't possibly be..._

No. No, it can't be. This was _Ash _freaking _Ketchum_ she was talking about here. Same old dense-as-a-rock Ash Ketchum.

He won't say it.

But then the next words are falling from his lips, and she's only heard a little bit, but her eyes are closing together very tightly and she's clasping firm palms over her ears before the rest of his sentence can invade them. She can't listen to this, because she _knows_ what he's going to say. He's going to say those same words she's only dreamed of, those same words she's hoped and wished and _prayed _he would say to _her_ one day...

So she runs. She'll just tell Brock she couldn't find them.

/ / / /

**xxxxxxxxx** first comes love ;

Ash Ketchum has returned from his journey.

The very words are everywhere she looks; as she picks up a copy of some local newspaper, "KANTO TRAINER BECOMES POKEMON MASTER" glare at her in big block letters amongst tiny scattered print. Even his face is everywhere. His brown eyes are sparkling on a PokeTrainer magazine a person carelessly tossed on a bench. She leans down to take it, but when she looks up into the window of a nearby store, she immediately takes note of the hats for sale: they are the current trademark cap of Kanto's beloved new idol. There's a long-legged girl in there trying one on hesitantly, face red, almost reminding Misty of herself. The magazine and the newspaper fall from her hands, forgotten.

Two young boys' chatter float into earshot.

"Did you see Ash Ketchum beat Cynthia of the Elite Four?" one of them says eagerly.

The other one is just as exuberant. "No, I missed it! He beat her? Woah, Ketchum's amazing!"

"Totally! I want to be a Pokemon Master just like him..."

Misty squeezes her eyes shut.

She ignores the empty feeling that cloaks her whenever someone says his name. She pays no attention to the way her hand trembles when he so much as _speaks_ to her, which has happened a lot ever since he returned home. It initially puzzled her that she was even being spoken to, especially when the _other _girl was around, but, hmmph. Misty then put two and two together and came to the conclusion that he was feeling guilty for neglecting her all those years, and now wants to compensate for his sins with small talk.

She rolls her eyes. Idiot.

Two days later, when the doorbell rings and it's him, asking politely for a spare fishing lure (did he lose her special one after all of those years...?), she knows she's gone crazy. Because despite her harsh words, despite her rough exterior, when she saw him outside the window she could hear her heartbeat quicken and saw confession scenes playing out in her mind. He was going to drop to a knee, admit his lifelong attraction to her, and beg for her hand in marriage... she was sure of it.

Except she wasn't. Because of course that didn't happen, and she hands over what he needs with a blank expression. He turns and leaves with a lifeless "goodbye" to seal the deal, while she brokenly shuts the door and crumples into a heap on the ground.

Misty is a complete and utter wreck, torn apart by some fool of a man that won't reciprocate—let alone _acknowledge—_her feelings. Every time he does something a little sweet, or touches her in the littlest way, or does _anything_ that yanks her heartstrings, he falls into Dawn's arms at the end. Every goddamn time.

"It's always been Dawn," she mutters shortly after she's regained herself, sprawled across the couch with the magazine she saw on the bench earlier. As soon as she says it, she knows the truth the statement holds. The words leave an ugly aftertaste on her tongue. She remembers that the day after she found them in the tree, he was already off to Unova; she was selfishly hoping that the next female travelling companion, Iris, would break his feelings for the blunette. Iris, maybe, could make Ash forget all about Dawn, possibly even make him remember Misty again. After all, the redhead and Iris were quite alike, and Dawn was just another girl, just another travelling companion. Misty was the first. She was special. Right?

But that was just wishful thinking. Of course Misty's fears came true. She always had the worst luck. As soon as Unova came and went, Ash started making regular trips to Sinnoh. Not Cerulean City, not even Kanto; Sinnoh. With Dawn. To see her.

Because he loved her even then.

As if to just send Misty into a spiraling pit of depression, she flips the page of the gossip magazine she's reading only to see the cursed blunette smiling back at her. Ash's arm is around her tiny waist. "Dating rumors are flying after Ash Ketchum was spotted with..." the caption reads, but she can't bear to go on further.

The redhead swears violently as she sends the magazine flying (_Just like those dating rumors!_ she adds bitterly) into the trash bin.

/ / / / /

**xxxxxxxxx** then comes marriage ;

It's... perfect.

She spins, relishing the feeling of fabric floating lazily along with her. A smile graces her lips as she tests it out again, whirling in a full circle, staring down at her body in awe as the white ocean fans out.

It really is perfect. It's almost as if it actually belonged to her. Which it should... it definitely should.

"Misty? Are you in here? Are you in your bridesmaid dress yet?" A muffled voice interrupts her hazy fantasy.

Dawn's wedding dress falls limp beneath her and her heart meets her stomach; she was too lost in herself to hear May enter the dressing room... how long had the other girl been there? Whatever, she didn't see a thing, and Misty thanks Arceus that the brunette failed to catch her twirling around in someone else's bridal gown.

Back to real life now. "U-uh, almost," she calls out reassuringly, cursing under her breath as she accidentally steps on the gown in the midst of yanking it off. She hears a slight rip, and, face heating up in embarrassment, hurriedly picks it up off the ground and places it back where she found it... on that hanger full of dresses, right behind her very own bridesmaid dress. _Bridesmaid_. The word hits her like a ton of bricks all over again.

"OK, well, Dawn's almost finished with hair and makeup, so we'll be the first people to see it!" she hears the other girl burst out in excitement.

Misty tries not to sound too irritable. "I wouldn't count on it. You know the others are going to be here as soon as they can." That, for one, is completely true. No one can resist the chance to "ooh" and "aah" over the bride, she thinks spitefully.

Despite her angry thoughts, she slips into her real dress; it's... pink. Doesn't Dawn know that redheads look terrible in pink?

"Alright, I'm ready!" she yells out to May, stepping out into the open. But the brunette isn't looking at her, because _she _has entered the room.

"Oh... oh, Dawn. You look so beautiful," May's breathing in wonderment, and the blue-haired woman's cheeks turn a delightful pink. Misty can't help but note the fact that pink is much more flattering on Dawn than on her.

"You really think so?" she giggles, and her maid-of-honor nods eagerly.

"Of course!"

At that moment, the rest of the bridesmaids stumble in, just as Misty had predicted. Lyra, Leona, Iris, and Maylene, all pretty in pink, immediately shower Dawn with compliments and hugs and cooing and, certainly not for the first time, Misty feels envious of her.

"Will some of you help me put my dress on?" Dawn asks then, and her eyes shine bright blue. "I doubt I can put it on by myself without messing up all this," she explains, motioning to the elaborate curls neatly piled atop her head.

"Sure. Hey Misty, can you get the dress?"

And suddenly they all turn their heads to smile at her, the girl standing in the corner watching Dawn's perfect life from a distance... the redhead's tempted to say no, but would that be too out-of-character for someone who's not jealous? Because they can never know the _truth_. She'll take it to her grave.

A second's worth of a pause, and then—"...Mmmhmm." And her stomach sinks as she hands the dress—the dress that_ she_ should be wearing—off to the bride—the bride that should be _her_.

/ / / / / / / /

"Hey Misty, do you want to dance?"

"No, thanks. Not right now." She waves him off. Whoever he is, it doesn't matter. He will never be _him_.

"Misty, let's get some cake!" Iris, who has momentarily tamed her wild hair, pesters her, tugging a little at her hand.

"No, thanks."

"Are you sure?" A green-haired man in a neat suit pipes up from behind her. "I'll get you something," Dento offers gentlemanly.

"I'm fine, thank you."

"...Okay. Let's go, Iris," he says finally, taking the purple-haired girl's hand and leading her away. Misty's sharp eyes pick up the faint pink tint that glows on Iris' face, and she smothers a scream. Damn it, not them as well? Couldn't everyone stop being so freaking _in love_? She tears her eyes away from the scene, instead focusing on a single stain on the carpet, lost in her own thoughts.

Eventually, another being prods her, but she shakes her head at the faceless person, too. Because the redhead's busy. Busy fantasizing that this is _her_ wedding, this is _her_ reception, that is _her_ diamond ring on Dawn's dainty little finger, and, most importantly, that is_ her_ husband. All hers. As it should be.

She's having a flashback then... a time when all was well and all WAS as it should be.

_"Look at those two argue... like a married couple, eh?"_

_"Certainly they'll really be a couple one day. Oh, I can just see it now..."_

She remembers how pleased she was when she heard those words exchanged by Delia Ketchum and Professor Oak. She was crouching by the door, ears pressing close to the wood. She grinned for days.

_"They're lovebirds!"_ the Team Rocket Meowth's words melt over the former scene, and suddenly she's seeing herself, a lanky tomboy in shorts and suspenders. She sees the capped boy next to her, watches as she and Ash duck their heads, red staining their faces as soon as they hear his words.

But it was all wrong. Everything had changed...

The lighthearted music quickly turns into a slow-dance, as if to represent the change itself.

And to her absolute horror, which she hides well behind a mask of indifference, bride and groom make their way over to the dance floor. They smile and giggle and look into each others' eyes... all drugged up by love.

The redhead makes a face. They're the real lovebirds, and she's a wallflower, she realizes, as everyone keeps on dancing as if nothing's wrong. They don't notice how the punch is a tad too sweet, how there's a rip in Dawn's gown that Misty can be blamed for, and how there's a still girl in the corner with rather drippy mascara.

"But EVERYTHING'S wrong," she tells herself again as more tears threaten to break free; but she can't let it show. So she chokes back a sob as she lets a blur—is it Tracey? Gary?—take her hand.

**xxxxxxxxx** then comes a baby in a baby carriage ;

Misty loves the baby.

The way he coos when she tickles his feet... how he gurgles in delight as she pulls a funny face at him... her eyes dance and she tries to hold back her giggles.

"You'd look much better with red hair," she murmurs to the child, tugging at a strand of _Dawn_'s blue hair, and beaming as_ Ash_'s brown eyes stare at her as she talks.

This child should be hers.

She's wasted her whole life fawning after his father, so she's had a lot of time to think. This child _should _have red hair, and she knows that this is fact with every fiber in her being. It was always Misty and Ash. Always, always, always. And this child should represent that... but no. The truth is staring at her coldly. The truth that life didn't turn out the way it was supposed to, and that destiny, in fact, was a big fat lie made up by some lonely broad probably similar to herself.

Now, every time Misty sees blue she feels compelled to stab something.

"Misty...? Are you in here?"

She snaps out of her dazed state, whirling around, staring blankly back at the very person who breaks her heart on a daily basis.

"Oh, um... Ash. What do you want?" she says awkwardly.

"Just checking to see if you had the baby," he answers, and she watches his face light up at the word. He's so happy. She's so miserable. This can't be happening.

"I'm... happy for you," Misty manages, feigning a smile. Ash replies with a dazzling grin of his own, and the redhead has to blink the stars from her eyes.

"Thanks," he says, and he means it. "I feel like... everything's so perfect, you know? Everything's worked out... awesomely." A part of her old self cringes at his use of the adjective, but her new shell-of-a-person cannot get past the fact that he just said everything was perfect.

Perfect.

_Perfect._

She's been silent for too long. She sees Ash's face change into an expression of concern. "Misty, is there... something wrong?"

Something breaks inside her then. She can't help it. Her voice is drenched in sugar with a very large helping of poison when she says, "Nope, everything's perfect! Butterflies and sunshine and shit, you know?", because he is really that much of an imbecile if he can't see the way she's feeling right now.

And he just called it "perfect".

How the hell did the guy expect her to react? But he jumps back, as if stunned. The words slowly buzz in his mind before he can wrap his head around what she just spit out.

"What's your problem?" he demands then. Typical Ash, getting angry because he doesn't understand.

She feels suppressed fury,_ rage_, building up, crawling up her throat and out her mouth. Typical Misty, doing things without thinking.

"What's my _problem_? What's my_ PROBLEM_?"

The fuming woman steps forward, jabbing a hard finger into his chest. She has to look up at him to glower into his brown eyes; Ash had caught up to and even passed her height a while ago. It had initially pleased her, as they finally_ looked _like a couple, but none of that matters anymore. The fact that she thought the stars had painted a path for them to follow, a trail that would lead up to happiness for the both of them, had withered away along with her self-control.

She regains her furious composure, and yells, finger pressing into his chest with every syllable.

"My problem is, buddy, that I've spent my_ whole life _being_ so _in_ love _with you, and yet you don't even reject me properly! No! Instead, you choose to show off your perfect little life right in my face, which is completely _worse_!"

Ash's angry expression folds within itself, and now shock is the only thing on his face. Eyes wide, mouth agape, staring at her.

"Say something!" she screeches. "I've waited at least eighteen years, might as well start_ talking_!"

He's silent for a few moments more, still dumbstruck. Then he shakes his head, as if to clear his thoughts, before sputtering a weak apology.

The redhead looks at him in disbelief.

"What."

"I-I said... 's-sorry.'"

...Arceus help her. Take her soul and send her deep into the fiery pits of Hell, where she could live in eternal damnation. She'd still be happier, so much happier, than she was right now.

Rather than taking out a knife and stabbing black, rather than blue like she had planned, Misty Waterflower just laughs and laughs and laughs in a way that leaves the knees of the man across from her shaking in fear.

"My... whole... life..." she blurts out amidst uncontrollable laughter, "spent... on a complete... fool..." She throws her head back, leaving a trail of bright hair that does look indeed like fire from Hell. "HA! HA-HA!"

The hysteria-stained words race out her lips and send a sword through Ash's stomach. His eyes are so wide she can picture them falling right out of the socket. The mental image only makes her laugh even harder, before suddenly she stops.

She makes sure not to forget to punch him squarely in the face before leaving Ash Ketchum's life and slamming the door behind her.

**xxxxxxxx end.**

/ / / / /

how long has it been since an update? well, I started this before diamond & pearl ended. I updated it a little and added a few bits, as well as inserting Iris/Dento/Isshu/etc to make it more modern... please review, constructive criticism would be helpful. also, is dento "dent" or what? o_o

this is a ONESHOT, btdubs.


End file.
